Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Ten years later, shoulder to shoulder

September 11, 2011, has come and gone, and I'm feeling that now, the heavy lifting begins again. The period of reflection and commemoration was as rich as it was long. There were ample opportunities to stop and reflect on the meaning of that tragic day 10 years ago.

For me the commemorative events got started early on Sept. 8 in Washington, D.C., at a press conference sponsored by an ecumenical/interfaith coalition called Shoulder to Shoulder.

This is how Shoulder to Shoulder describes itself:

"Shoulder to Shoulder is an interfaith coalition dedicated to ending anti-Muslim sentiment by strengthening the voice of freedom and peace. Founded in November 2010 by more than 26 national faith groups, denominations and interfaith organizations, Shoulder to Shoulder works not only on a national level, but offers strategies and support to local and regional efforts to address anti-Muslim sentiment and to spread the word abroad."

The press conference was designed to be an opportunity for this coalition to get its message out well ahead of the many events planned throughout the nation later in the week and over the weekend. The intent was to honor all who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, and to point out that Muslim people as a religious group should not be blamed for this tragedy; that this was the work of a small group of extremists who acted out of a distorted understanding of Islam. The fact that many Muslims lost their lives in the attacks was highlighted to illustrate that people of all faiths, as well as those of no faith, suffered death and injury that day.

I was on the program to speak as a leader from the Christian tradition. In my remarks I lifted up our UCC General Synod Resolution To Counter Actions of Hostility against Islam and the Muslim Community. This resolution calls on all settings of the United Church of Christ, including local churches, to speak out against religiously-motivated violence, particularly as it is directed against the Muslim community.

As coincidence - or, better yet, the Spirit - would have it, one of the local organizations cited for its work in enacting a strategy to challenge and prevent anti-Muslim violence and hate speech was a UCC church, First Congregational United Church of Christ in Corvallis, Ore. The pastor, the Rev. Elizabeth Oettinger, was there. She spoke with passion and conviction, telling us of a small group of interfaith colleagues she meets with regularly. They call themselves "The Usual Suspects."

Shoulder to Shoulder recognized First Congregational, Rev. Oettinger, and her colleagues for their initiative to organize citizens in Corvallis to stand with the Muslim community in the aftermath of a firebombing of the local mosque.

This was a true call and response moment. The General Synod, which is the United Church of Christ gathered in its national configuration, called on other settings of the church to enact the biblical mandate to love our neighbors, even in the face of bigotry and hatred. Here was a local UCC church and its pastor, along with other interfaith leaders, faithfully responding to that call. For me the synchronicity was simply inspiring!

I know that First Congregational in Corvallis is not the only UCC local church that is engaged in this kind of interfaith activity and witness. I know that many of our churches were about this work long before the Synod passed its resolution. I also know that there are many other faith communities and secular organizations who share our concern and commitment. However, the task of countering the tide of anti-Muslim bigotry, what I refer to as "heavy lifting," is likely to be with us a long time.

With Shoulder to Shoulder, we have made a good start. My hope and prayer is that the effort will only grow, getting stronger and stronger, creating a tidal wave of belief and action to overwhelm the voices of hatred and fear that often go unchallenged in this country.

6 comments:

A most wonderful "God-incidence" has happened in our community. We planned and carried out a wonderful interfaith prayer service for our Sunday morning on September 11 with our neighbors, Williams College chaplains, now including both a Jewish and a Muslim chaplain. It was followed by an interfaith panel discussion.

But more importantly: two weeks before September 11 we suffered ill effects from Hurricane Irene in one particular part of our town: a mobile home park with 225 homes was flooded. It housed the 5% of our population that is very low income, many of whom are elderly, handicapped, or otherwise limited in their ability to pay rent. It's been declared a federal disaster; FEMA has arrived. But from Day 2, our interfaith community has been responding to needs. We've now formed a new non-profit called "Higher Ground" and my Muslim colleague, Bilal Ansari, and I are working shoulder to shoulder as chair and vice chair to continue with long-term recovery needs and to address the appalling lack of affordable housing in our community.

I couldn't agree more...and to wit? What follows is a press release written by Sara Pedrick on behalf of our church:

On September 11, 2011, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ (UCC) in Donnellson, Iowa hosted what its pastor, the Rev. Robert Koepcke described as “an opportunity for mutual understanding.” A special worship and educational event was held to honor the 10th Anniversary of 9/11.

The title of the event, “In God We Trust, United We Stand” emerged from the relationship between the UCC and a steering committee of the US-based interfaith campaign called “Shoulder-to-Shoulder.” The campaign opposes anti-religious prejudices and anti-Muslim bigotry in particular. It further encourages its members to “seek ways to learn more about Islam, to engage in relationships with Muslims and to invite other ecumenical and interfaith bodies to join us in this effort.”

Koepcke invited Manzoor Murshed, associate professor of business at Upper Iowa University and Abdullah Nair, MD, clinical associate professor at the University of Iowa to join in this exchange.

Murshed began by explaining what followers of Christianity and Islam have in common. “All Muslims worship Allah the Almighty, the most merciful and beneficent. In fact we have no doubt that he is the same God that Christians and Jews worship.” The Muslim holy book is the Qur’an, which means “recitation.” Written in Arabic, it contains revelations given to Mohammed, the Islamic prophet beginning in 610 CE directly from Allah or God.

Murshed then cited numerous Qur’anic texts. Among those are many that strictly condemn religious extremism and terrorism. He defined terrorism as “any act of indiscriminate violence that targets innocent people, whether committed by individuals, groups or states.”

“The Qur’an,” Murshed explained, “prohibits taking innocent life, which is considered as one of the greatest sins in Islam.” He further clarified the reference to innocent life as non-combatants, the elderly, children, women, unarmed civilians, clergy and infrastructure.”

In the ten-year wake of the event of September 11, 2001, some people have struggled to identify the perpetrators’ religious and political identity while others have believed all Muslims are responsible.

Murshed made the following central distinction: “If some Muslims…disregard these clear Qur’anic limits, then Islam provides no justification and cannot be blamed.” One of the handouts at the exchange (available on request) is titled “Muslim Position and Responsibilities Against Religious Extremism.” In it the Qur’anic references are made to justice, anti-violence, tolerance and respectful dialogue.

The respectful dialogue on that Sunday, ten years post-9/11 was truly an exercise in learning about and engagement with the unfamiliar. When asked what Murshed would say in summary, “Simply peace,” he said. “Peace.”

There is a long and tragic history of religious violence in the world. Nearly all religions, including Islam, having texts that can be quoted for and against violence against those not-in-the-fold. Qur'an has violent texts too. The tiny minority who subscribe to these texts are a danger to Muslims as well as to followers of other faiths and no faith. The world is bathed in blood.

My sense of the faith of Jesus would never allow violence against anyone simply because of their faith or background - and I'm glad the UCC is in leadership in that camp. We live in witness to the Peace of the Human One, who seeks healing for all brokenness, in Jesus' Love

I have nothing as profound as the previous individuals commenting, but would just like to say "thank you" - for everyone who is taking on the cause for unity. As a UCC member who has been married for 33years to a Muslim, and whose children are Muslim, I appreciate hearing true faith-inspired action. The dissention between faith groups has seemed strange to us, as religion has not been a source of conflict in our family. We are, as many, just a family trying to live in peace with others in the world. I made a commitment a few years ago to read, beginning to end, the books of the monotheistic religions, and have so far completed reading the Bible, almost finished with the Koran and on next to the Tanakh (yes, I now realize that was not the historical order to read them in!) - and will then likely look for some publication that will do a cross analysis between. I also read from authors from Eastern religions- inspiring and insightful. We have much to learn from each other.....

"But there is a crucial difference between anti-Muslim hatred and legitimate criticism of the religion of Islam. Like any other ideology, Islam must be open to being critiqued, and where its political aspects appear to pose a challenge to fundamental Western values, these issues must be discussed openly and responsibly, without the debate being obscured by charges of “Islamophobia”. It must also be possible to comment on the behavior of individual Muslims where this contravenes our society’s basic norms, without being accused of racism or bigotry." - Dr. Patrick Sookhdeo, Barnabas Aid Our UCC must support free speech even when it is not politically correct, especially in our own denominational circles.- Rev. Albert W. Kovacs

But there is a crucial difference between anti-Muslim hatred and legitimate criticism of the religion of Islam. Like any other ideology, Islam must be open to being critiqued, and where its political aspects appear to pose a challenge to fundamental Western values, these issues must be discussed openly and responsibly, without the debate being obscured by charges of “Islamophobia”. It must also be possible to comment on the behavior of individual Muslims where this contravenes our society’s basic norms, without being accused of racism or bigotry.- Dr. Patrick Sookhdeo, Barnabas Aid Our UCC must support free speech even if it is not politically correct, especially in our own denominational circles.

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